- The Beresford.
- Will Carver.
- 276 pages.
- Psychological Thriller / Literary Thriller / Horror.
Book Blurb.
Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.
There’s a routine at The Beresford.
For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.
Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him.
In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.
And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.
Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…
Book Review.
I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Beresford is an apartment building that is owned and run by Mrs May, a kindly, if somewhat eccentric, old landlady. Mr May’s routine is the same, day after day, always and forever, and she never leaves the grounds of The Beresford. Only venturing as far as pruning the rose bushes outside the front door.
Cheap and affordable, The Beresford is an attractive prospect for people looking for affordable accommodation. Those who don’t belong, who don’t fit in, who are escaping, who are running away from someone, something or somewhere, and those who are looking to start a new life can all find a welcome at The Beresford.
There is a swift turnaround of tenants at The Beresford, one in, one out. A chain of events, often something innocuous like a comment taken the wrong way, a perceived slight, or an argument that has escalated ends with an accidental death. The tenants aren’t killers, but within the building they become killers. They don’t mean to kill, but they snap and can’t stop. It is like they are not themselves; they have been poisoned, and they are being influenced by an outside force that is making them act out of character. Sometimes the aggressor triumphs, the one who lashed out first, and other times, the one acting in self-defence becomes the killer and survives.
When the current tenant dies, the next tenant moves in straight away. From the moment they breathe their last breath and their soul leaves their body, there are exactly sixty seconds before the doorbell rings. One minute until the new tenant arrives to take the now newly deceased tenant’s place and continue the cycle.
The writing in The Beresford is slick, stylish, has a very modern feel to it, and includes plenty of black humour. The chapters are short, snappy, and rapid-fire. The story which is devilishly addictive is inventive, gory (in places), creepy, and has a depth buried beneath the menacing surface.
Reading a book by Will Carver is a unique experience, you’re not quite sure what to expect, or where the story will go, but you’ll sure as hell enjoy the sadistic ride that he takes you on.
A little bit weird, and a whole lot of twisted fun The Beresford is a sharply crafted and delectable slice of entertaining darkness.
Pre-order The Beresford by Will Carver released in ebook on May 22nd, 2021, and in paperback on July 22nd, 2021.
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depository
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